60WinTim wrote:So, for anyone who is [s]board[/s] bored silly, here are the collection of player interviews from today. The number one take away is Sid not be allowed into the room...
It's the last one, but I was impressed with the Brandon Rush interview. If he is hitting 3s like he says he is, he could see the floor this year.
thedoper wrote:Bazz's interview was great. He's already been working with Thibs for a month. Seems very self aware of where we needs to improve.
This is exciting news in my opinion. Don't forget that Bazz was the Wiggins of his class in high school...the guy everyone projected to be the #1 pick after one year in college. And then he set the Pac 10 record for freshman scoring. His pro career so far has been subpar, but perhaps Rick, Flip and Sam weren't able to get everything out of him. I love that thibs has taken an interest in him (it seems) and that Bazz is so enthusiastic about him. Color me guardedly optimistic.
Welcome back LST. We missed you on the Bazz train. I'm glad you still have faith.
Yeah, I might have even been the conductor on that train after the draft and through his first year. He was such a prolific scorer, and I thought he would eventually become at least an average defender. I got disenchanted though in his second and third years. His defense didn't seem to improve, and his disinterest in passing the basketball really started to bug me...especially on fast breaks when he would try to beat 3 defenders. I didn't hear his interview, but your report is exactly what I want to hear. Bazz is such an easy guy to cheer for because he always works hard, and because despite his fall from #1 prospect to NBA bench guy, he doesn't seem to be a prima donna. I really hope thibs can find a way to get the most out of him.
Don't forget me. I didn't yell out #FreeBazz in vain ya know.
I was always on board with the Bazz pick where he was drafted especially in that draft that was not exactly a highly touted draft. I thought it was a terrific value at that spot for all the reasons LST listed. My biggest concern was the mental stuff being a good guy etc. At this point that's basically not an issue its probably a positive for him which is a testament to him especially since its not like he has had a uber stable environment as a Wolf.
thedoper wrote:Bazz's interview was great. He's already been working with Thibs for a month. Seems very self aware of where we needs to improve.
This is exciting news in my opinion. Don't forget that Bazz was the Wiggins of his class in high school...the guy everyone projected to be the #1 pick after one year in college. And then he set the Pac 10 record for freshman scoring. His pro career so far has been subpar, but perhaps Rick, Flip and Sam weren't able to get everything out of him. I love that thibs has taken an interest in him (it seems) and that Bazz is so enthusiastic about him. Color me guardedly optimistic.
Welcome back LST. We missed you on the Bazz train. I'm glad you still have faith.
Yeah, I might have even been the conductor on that train after the draft and through his first year. He was such a prolific scorer, and I thought he would eventually become at least an average defender. I got disenchanted though in his second and third years. His defense didn't seem to improve, and his disinterest in passing the basketball really started to bug me...especially on fast breaks when he would try to beat 3 defenders. I didn't hear his interview, but your report is exactly what I want to hear. Bazz is such an easy guy to cheer for because he always works hard, and because despite his fall from #1 prospect to NBA bench guy, he doesn't seem to be a prima donna. I really hope thibs can find a way to get the most out of him.
Don't forget me. I didn't yell out #FreeBazz in vain ya know.
Indeed, you have always been Bazz's biggest proponent on this board. However, I think it's safe to say that he generally has the same strengths and flaws now that he had in college. It's why he's a bench player being given a niche role versus someone that can be trusted as a starting wing. I do think Thibs will maximize his strengths though. I am really looking forward to seeing how he and Bjelica work together. Those guys can really play off each other because their games are very complimentary.
Alan Horton ?@WolvesRadio 6m6 minutes ago
Bazz says defense has been a big focus over the 1st 2 days, said he's learning defensive terms "I didn't know existed."
Alan Horton ?@WolvesRadio 6m6 minutes ago
Bazz says defense has been a big focus over the 1st 2 days, said he's learning defensive terms "I didn't know existed."
Wasn't defense the sole focus in the beginning of camp last season too!? Remember how much Mitchell talked about getting back to the basics and then we'd see clips of KG at times taking over and holding court over the youngsters?
In the end we were one of the worst defensive teams in the league last season. The ONLY reason we weren't the worst was because KG and Prince were in the starting lineup over the first few dozen of games or so. Whatever lessons were taught by KG, Prince, the coaches, etc. certainly didn't stick.
In Thibs we trust, but he's got a lot of ground to cover!
Alan Horton ?@WolvesRadio 6m6 minutes ago
Bazz says defense has been a big focus over the 1st 2 days, said he's learning defensive terms "I didn't know existed."
Wasn't defense the sole focus in the beginning of camp last season too!? Remember how much Mitchell talked about getting back to the basics and then we'd see clips of KG at times taking over and holding court over the youngsters?
In the end we were one of the worst defensive teams in the league last season. The ONLY reason we weren't the worst was because KG and Prince were in the starting lineup over the first few dozen of games or so. Whatever lessons were taught by KG, Prince, the coaches, etc. certainly didn't stick.
In Thibs we trust, but he's got a lot of ground to cover!
Q - I don't put any stock in anything Sam did or said he was doing. I was watching him the other day as one of the analysts on NBA TV talking about the Cavs and Warriors. One moment he's saying there's no risk of a Cavs' let-down because winning teams get addicted to winning and don't let up. In his next breath he's saying that Durant will help the Warriors by bringing a hunger the other guys won't have after already winning a championship. He was totally unaware of the stark inconsistency. Beyond that he didn't contribute a single intelligent insight or observation. Sam may be a great guy. But let's be honest. He's not very bright. And the hallmark of a good coach is intelligence.
I caught that same segment on NBA TV and was thinking the exact same thing you just said about Sam. I was like, what tha! He's a circus, he just rambles and rambles with no coherent thought to what he's saying. i didn't catch much else of the NBA TV's coverage of media, but saw that, hilarious.
I caught that same segment on NBA TV and was thinking the exact same thing you just said about Sam. I was like, what tha! He's a circus, he just rambles and rambles with no coherent thought to what he's saying. i didn't catch much else of the NBA TV's coverage of media, but saw that, hilarious.
Classic Sam makes tons of sense and...then he doesn't.
I agree that what Sam tried to do defensively should be taken with a grain of salt. Let's be honest even if you think Sam is a smart basketball guy and a decent coach (which to some extent he is both) he didn't have a reputation as a defensive guy and had nobody on his staff that had that either. It was interesting hearing Bazz talk after day 2 about learning defensive concepts and technical aspects. He said how he wasn't squared up on close outs last year etc. I have no doubt Sam and his staff (plus KG and maybe even some other vets) of breaking down some basic fundamentals for players last year. Hear is the thing about coaching. It's not just about being smart and coming up with individual and team concepts that work and may even be brilliant but it's also a big deal to be able to teach and communicate them to players and others that need to understand them. I think it's pretty clear Thibs has those qualities and it's a big reason why he is considered a very good coach. Its not hard to come to the conclusion that Sam Mitchell isn't at Thibs level at a wide variety of things. Heck just one thing is Thibs handled his firing so much more classy than Sam. Thibs probably had even more to be upset about losing his job and how they lost it than Sam did although they were obviously very different situations.
Also it's kinda funny that Q has spent years saying how defensive coaches can make all the difference in the NBA and now that we have one he doesn't seem willing to buy into his own stuff he has been preaching (and I have been agreeing with him). I'm just giving you a hard time Q I figure you are trying to keep your expectations lower because...well you are a Wolves fan. I get it. :)
Yeah, not to pile on Sam, but he simply strikes me as an ideal assistant: hard worker, confident, gets after guys, etc. But if he's your head coach you're in trouble. He's simply not a strategist, doesn't have the elite basketball mind you need at this level. I'm positive he could have taken us only so far, where as with Thibs there is no ceiling. Whether Thibs leads the team to the promised land is another question, but at least with him I feel there's a chance.
I caught that same segment on NBA TV and was thinking the exact same thing you just said about Sam. I was like, what tha! He's a circus, he just rambles and rambles with no coherent thought to what he's saying. i didn't catch much else of the NBA TV's coverage of media, but saw that, hilarious.
Classic Sam makes tons of sense and...then he doesn't.
I agree that what Sam tried to do defensively should be taken with a grain of salt. Let's be honest even if you think Sam is a smart basketball guy and a decent coach (which to some extent he is both) he didn't have a reputation as a defensive guy and had nobody on his staff that had that either. It was interesting hearing Bazz talk after day 2 about learning defensive concepts and technical aspects. He said how he wasn't squared up on close outs last year etc. I have no doubt Sam and his staff (plus KG and maybe even some other vets) of breaking down some basic fundamentals for players last year. Hear is the thing about coaching. It's not just about being smart and coming up with individual and team concepts that work and may even be brilliant but it's also a big deal to be able to teach and communicate them to players and others that need to understand them. I think it's pretty clear Thibs has those qualities and it's a big reason why he is considered a very good coach. Its not hard to come to the conclusion that Sam Mitchell isn't at Thibs level at a wide variety of things. Heck just one thing is Thibs handled his firing so much more classy than Sam. Thibs probably had even more to be upset about losing his job and how they lost it than Sam did although they were obviously very different situations.
Also it's kinda funny that Q has spent years saying how defensive coaches can make all the difference in the NBA and now that we have one he doesn't seem willing to buy into his own stuff he has been preaching (and I have been agreeing with him). I'm just giving you a hard time Q I figure you are trying to keep your expectations lower because...well you are a Wolves fan. I get it. :)
You hit the nail on the head!
I absolutely do trust in Thibs to make us a better defensive team, but let's face it, the bar is pretty low compared to last season. On the other hand, the bar to being a great Western Conference team is really high. Going from poor to average defensively won't be enough. It needs to be a huge leap, which is why I think it may take a couple years.
